With the first half of the season almost finished, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have shown growth since last season. The men only having six returning players and nine newcomers. Head coach Tim Cleary has put together a new squad to give Pacific a promising new start.
The men’s record being 2-4 in the Northwest Conference and 8-7 overall doesn’t highlight the fact that the level of play has been at a new level this season. Cleary is into his second season with the Boxers and has made his mark in showing the fans what he expects from his team everyday.
“All in all, our team is much tougher this year. Having had a lot of tough seasons in the past, the returners came into this season with so much hunger that our performance has improved a ton,” said junior guard Colin Wester.
The recruiting done by the coaches for this season helped the chemistry of this year’s squad according to Wester, “The freshman and transfers they brought in have filled a lot of gaps we had in the past” he said.
The lady Boxers started the first half of the season at 2-4 in the NWC and 9-5 which overall has been an improvement from last season.
With only six returning players for the women, head coach Sarah Rissmiller had some majoring gaps to fill and she succeeded by bringing in seven new additions to the team.
“Our saying this year is ‘Together as ONE’ and from the looks of our season so far, I think people are really noticing that we are working together very well and not to be taken lightly,” said senior forward Erica Schulz.
Schulz also commented about the great contributions that the transfer and freshmen players have made to the team. “Both juniors Heather Hitch and Erica Colter have been outstanding additions to this team.”
The Boxers are back in action in the Stoller Center on Jan. 21 for a doubleheader, starting with the women at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m. Come and watch some good basketball and support your Boxer basketball athletes.
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